José dos Santos Cabral Filho and Ana Paula Baltazar
Presented as conversation studio on October 12 as part of RSD14-Ecologies of Knowing and during RSD14-Paper Talks, October 8–10, 2025.
The paper explores the dynamic and complex interaction of an academic group with a semi-rural community in Brazil over a five-year period. Rather than presenting a conventional case study, it seeks to retrospectively make sense of an intense and multifaceted experience of acting with and within a community. At its core, the paper investigates the possibility of action without a predetermined plan, guided instead by a flexible and diffuse intention, driven by a passionate engagement. The strategy discussed here only appears as a plan when viewed in hindsight, and it is not meant to be validated as a model but rather to serve as an inspirational example.
The paper begins by contextualising the village and outlining the various activities undertaken during this interaction. These actions—ranging from courses and technical advisory services to workshops, art installations, game design, and more—are examined in detail, highlighting how they were structured, the constraints they encountered, and their perceived effects on the community. These actions operate on multiple levels: symbolic (activating the community’s self-perception), embodied (fostering and exploring pleasurable situations in encounters by playing with differences), intellectual (creating opportunities for learning through experiences), and pragmatic (articulating technical knowledge with the community when demanded).
The paper incorporates various accounts given by residents, offering their perspectives on the experience of engaging with the academic team. These firsthand accounts are contrasted with our own reflections, revealing the complexities and nuances of the interaction.
In the final analysis, we argue that acting without a predefined plan is not only possible but, in some cases, preferable. However, this approach requires a structure to guide the action, one that can accommodate the interplay of certainty and uncertainty. In this regard, cybernetic strategies are particularly suitable. In other words, such an approach becomes viable when supported by a cybernetic understanding of the functionality of a system.
Furthermore, we critique certain prevalent strategies that, contrary to their intention, end up imposing a sense of distance and detachment. Instead of reinforcing distance, we advocate for an alternative approach: one based on intimacy (questioning the paradigm of observation), and dialogue (questioning the paradigm of mapping). We propose an approach rooted in an engagement that dwells on similarities, embraces differences, and explores the asymmetries inherent in relationships. Rather than imposing structures that prescribe the outcome of actions, we argue for a careful and passionate involvement with the community, fostering meaningful, fruitful, open-ended, and transformative interactions.
KEYWORDS: community engagement, academic collaboration, flexible action, cybernetic strategies, dialogical approach
The full version of the paper is currently in development but may be accessed via the RSD14 advance online publication.
The URL for this article is stable and may be used in citations. The final version of the paper will be embedded here and formally published on or before October 2026. We ask that the publication year in any citation be updated to reflect the final publication year once it is available. The citation in APA 7 format is provided below.
Profiles
José dos Santos Cabral Filho
Escola de Arquitetura da UFMG
José S. Cabral Filho is an architect and a semi-retired professor at the School of Architecture at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil (UFMG). His research focuses on the liberating potential of technology, seeking a far-reaching adoption of play in digital design, using games as a framework for the coexistence of determinism and non-determinism. His main interests include the philosophy of Vilém Flusser, Second-Order Cybernetics, as well as architectural-performance and electronic music.
Ana Paula Baltazar
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil (UFMG)
Ana Paula Baltazar is a Brazilian qualified Architect, MArch, and PhD in Architecture and Virtual Environments at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL (UK). She is an Associated Lecturer (reader) teaching at both graduate and undergraduate programs at the School of Architecture at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil (UFMG), where she also co-leads the research groups MOM (Morar de Outras Maneiras / Living in Other Ways) and LAGEAR (Laboratório Gráfico para Experimentação Arquitetônica / Computer Laboratory for Architectural Experience). Since 2014, she has been awarded the CNPq Productivity Scholarship. Her current research focuses on the development of interfaces for technical advisory and socio-spatial pedagogy, having human emancipation as its ultimate aim. She has published several papers and book chapters and was awarded four research prizes, two design prizes, and a prize for the best book chapter.
